What to put together before the search for your first or next practice

AS YOU START YOUR JOB SEARCH, you’ll need to produce the usual materials: CV, references, online profiles. But you’ll also need the immaterial: clear priorities, assertiveness, gut instincts. Set yourself up for long-term career happiness by building a strong job-search package from the get-go: gather the right materials, seek mental clarity, stay in the right mindset and lean on your mentors throughout the process.

Physician job search materials: From CVs to surgery videos

One of the most important materials to prepare for your job search is your CV, or curriculum vitae. It provides a paper—or, more likely, PDF—overview of your education, experience, credentials and interests.

Rather than starting your CV from scratch, ideally you’ll have an existing CV document that you can simply update with all your latest information. Or, use the helpful free CV builder at PhysicianCV.com.

“I started with a CV,” says Sapna Shah-Haque, M.D., internal medicine physician in Winfield, Kansas, and host of “The Worthy Physician” podcast. “I kept it updated during medical school [and] residency. …Keep it on your desktop, on your laptop. When you add a presentation, when you add a project, when you get an award or a test score, update it in real time. …It’s less intimidating than having to sit down and just dump it all from memory.”

 

Your CV should be written in reverse chronological order with dedicated sections for:

  • Contact information: Including your full name (with M.D. or D.O.), a phone number and a personal email address
  • Education and training: Including undergraduate school, medical school, residency, fellowship and other relevant training
  • Work experience: Including relevant specifics like procedural skills or types of patients
  • Licenses, certifications, eligibility: Including states, years and dates
  • Research, publications, presentations
  • Leadership experience • Awards and professional memberships

If you don’t have a document you’ve been updating throughout your training—or you’re daunted by the idea of churning one out—consider hiring a professional.

“Don’t be afraid to delegate to people,” says StressFreemd founder Robyn Tiger, M.D., diagnostic radiology and lifestyle medicine physician and physician well-being coach based in Asheville, North Carolina. “If it is your CV, for example, then find someone who does it for a living to really amplify who you are, to really let yourself shine. That actually will help you decrease your stress.”

Additionally, consider keeping multiple versions of your cv if you’re applying to different types of roles.

“You want to try and make [your CV] so it’s more tailored to [the type of position you’re seeking],” says Hussain Elhalis, M.D., an ophthalmologist practicing in Ocala, Florida. “If you’re trying to apply for an academic position, you want to show all your research, any tutoring or teaching. [For] private practice, you might want to show an experience you had with business; maybe you took some business courses.”

Though you may assume the CV is all about hard skills, it can actually reveal a lot about your soft skills as well.

“We’re going to be looking at, obviously, the educational institutions, GPAS…what sort of research have they done,” says William McCann, M.D., allergy and immunology physician and chief medical officer of Asheville, North Carolina-based Allergy Partners.

“Then, also, have they presented at conferences? Because people who have that exposure of getting in front of large groups and presenting data, etc., that lets you know that they’re somebody who has some confidence, is good at interacting with other people. Those skills can transfer over to interacting with patients and families as well as coworkers.”

McCann, who plays a role in hiring physicians for Allergy Partners’ multistate practice, also places a premium on community involvement. “The other [thing we look at] is involvement in professional societies or involvement in the community. Part of building a medical practice is also about building local relationships,” says McCann. “How do you even learn about the new doc in the community? Well, because they’re involved with their church group or their kids are playing Little League. All those sorts of things are so important. They’ve got the ability to interact well [and] also have a commitment to diving into their community.”

Get your references on board

In addition to prepping or updating your CV, you’ll need to gather solid references and request permission to share their names and contact information with hiring employers. Some employers may even request letters of recommendation from your references.

Go-to references typically include your program director, professors and attendings you’ve worked alongside. Think of those who can vouch for you both professionally and personally. Be assertive and ask your potential references directly whether they feel comfortable recommending you.

“You want to try to give references [that] you’re involved with most and that you’ve performed the most surgeries with—at least in my specialty, [which is] surgery-heavy,” says Elhalis. “Just make sure that you let them know that they might be receiving a call so they’re not surprised by that. But typically your attendings or mentors are more than happy to take some phone calls.”

Those phone calls between employers and your references often carry just as much weight as your CV, if not more.

“We really rely a lot on the references,” says McCann, “talking with the program director, other professors within the program — really getting a sense for how theindividual interacts with their peers, with patients, trying to get a sense of how they are as a clinician. We are always looking for people who are team players.”

Build or tidy your online profiles

Your online profiles may include those on physician job-search sites like PracticeLink.com and those on publicly accessible social media sites and apps like Instagram and TikTok.

On PracticeLink, make sure your profile is up to date with all the latest info from your CV along with your preferences about the type and location of practice you’re seeking. Keep your saved searches updated so you always get the latest relevant job postings sent right to you.

On social media sites, make sure your visible posts (including the ones you’re tagged in or have publicly liked) are things you’re comfortable with employers (and patients) seeing. Many physicians use their social media accounts skillfully to educate patients, share their workdays with the next generation of med students and even drive business for their practices. When used wisely, these profiles can showcase your people skills and personality. Just make sure they put your best foot forward.

Prep videos, licenses and elevator pitches ifneeded

Depending on your specialty, you may also need to gather videos of your surgical skills — not to submit with your initial application, but to provide upon request.

“They’re going to want to see surgical videos to know a general idea of how you are surgically,” says Elhalis. “You won’t necessarily send it right away, [but] expect to be asked for it. …You should have some of your certain surgeries recorded in case it’s asked for.”

Additionally, depending on where you are in your training, you may need to get the ball rolling on licensure to ensure you’re licensed to practice in the role or state you’re considering when the time comes.

Because you never know when you’re going to get a call from an employer or bump into a valuable connection, consider drafting and practicing an elevator pitch about the type of practice and role you’re seeking and what you have to offer. You don’t have to memorize a whole speech, but having a couple of talking points will help you make the most of moments as they arise.

Mental clarity: From priorities to interview prep

Identify and narrow your job-search priorities

Beyond the materials you’ll share with hiring employers, you also need mental clarity about your own job- search priorities. What matters most to you and your family—not just now, but 10 to 15 years down the road? Perhaps it’s location, practice type, patient load, clinical work, schedule, partnership opportunities, compensation or repayment options. And don’t forget about the importance of the practice culture.

“Even if the benefits are good, the compensation is good, area’s good, if that practice doesn’t have a good work culture, it’s just not going to work out,” says Elhalis.

To find the right fit, he advises physicians not to restrict themselves with too many priorities but, rather, to focus on th emost important ones.

“I only narrowed it down to private practice…and I had some criteria as far as it being a larger practice with multiple specialties within ophthalmology,” says Elhalis. “I tried not to restrict [area] because it’s hard to have too many restrictions, and you’re really narrowing your ability to find the job that you’re looking for.”

Elhalis had multiple phone interviews and went to site visits in locations as disparate as Iowa, Florida and California. He ended up being grateful he took this approach.

“You might be surprised at some of the things that won’t matter when you eventually go on the interview and also see many different practices,” says Elhalis. “Try to still interview at places you feel like might not actually be the right fit on paper. That’s what happened where I joined. …I visited, [and] that was it. All the other interviews went out the window, even though I’d already been on five or six others. I knew that this was the right fit. I’d gained experience, so I knew exactly what I was looking for at that point. It’s been eight years. So keep an open mind with the place [and] the type of practice it is. In the end you might be surprised at what you end up liking.”

If your priorities list feels too long, consider identifying your absolute non-negotiables instead. When you think in these terms, paycheck and location may seem less important.

“Start writing down, ‘What are some non-negotiables for me?’” says Shah-Haque. “It’s non-negotiable that I want to be able to drop my kids off at school, and I want to be able to pick them up [or] at least put them to bed. …To me, that time is sacred.”

When it comes to finding the right fit, Shah-Haque also stresses the importance of making sure the practice’s values align with your own. “You have to look at, ‘What are my core values?’ and see if that aligns with the core values of the institution,” she says.

Hone your interview approach

In addition to mental clarity about your priorities, you also want to be mentally prepared for your interviews and personal interactions. When you’re up against other qualified candidates, interpersonal skills can really set you apart.

“The quality of young candidates these days is phenomenal,” says McCann. “I’m always just blown away by how much these young doctors have done in their careers. …To be honest, it’s so uniform [that] it’s really the interpersonal skills [that stand out]: the inner drive, the inner motivation to want to succeed, to want to do well for their patients, want to be busy, want to build a practice, but also do that in the context of a team.”

You can showcase your interpersonal skills and drive by doing thorough research before your interviews. This will ensure you will be a better contributor to the conversation.

“You want to know about how many locations they have, what kind of area they serve, whether they have their own surgery center,” says Elhalis. “And you want to get an idea of how many other practices are in that area. Is that area saturated? Or is it underserved? That will give you an idea of whether you have the ability to grow a practice or not for yourself. Those are online research things you can do.”

It also works to your advantage to prepare some questions in advance of the interview — and perhaps even do a practice run with a friend. “Be inquisitive, ask questions,” says McCann. “Do some homework, know about the practice, know about the community, and just be genuine and be yourself. …It’s always great when interviewees have questions and are really showing that they’ve been thoughtful about this and that they really are interested in joining the practice.”

Mindset: From assertiveness to gut instinct

Mindset may sound similar to mental clarity, but when it comes to your job search, mindset has less to do with preparing yourself and more to do with advocating for yourself. You want to foster a mindset of assertiveness and self-respect, helping you to ask the right questions and trust your gut instincts.

“During medical school and residency, we’re trained to ask people hard questions,” says Shah-Haque. “We need to reframe that—to also be able to ask hard questions to the administration, to whoever we’re going to be reporting to.”

Demonstrating this level of assertiveness in your interviews and conversations with employers increases the likelihood that you’ll find a good long-term fit.

“One thing I really want to make sure that the young physicians know is that they have the right to ask questions,” says Shah-Haque. “They have the right to ask for a work schedule, call schedule that is amicable to their life, and they are definitely worthy of being treated with dignity and respect.” She also urges young physicians to seek support for their mental and physical health during the transition to attending to ensure they avoid burnout.

Similarly, paying attention to your gut instincts can help you make the right decision—especially when the pros and cons lists alone don’t provide the clarity you need.

“Many years ago, when I was a resident, I interviewed with someone, and the job was great, the money looked good, but just my interactions with the other doctor weren’t great,” says McCann. “It was one of those little nagging voices in your head that said, ‘This may not be a good fit.’ And it wound up not working out, which was a blessing in disguise.”

That little voice in your head may prove to be one of the best resources in your job search—encouraging you to accept a site visit in a city you never considered or confidently turn down the job you initially thought you wanted.

Mentors: From attendings to attorneys

Another indispensable resource in your job search will be the mentors and people with whom you surround yourself.

“Build your executive board of people that can help you make these [job-search] decisions,” says Tiger. Your board may include your program director, the people you work most closely with and your friends and family. Your program director and other residency mentors, in particular, will often have a lot of connections in your field, helping you network and shedding light on questions to ask during your interviews.

Elhalis relied on fellow physicians to help him evaluate his interviews afterward. “I had two attendings that were very involved in my job search because they had done the same thing just a few years before I did,” says Elhalis. “It was helpful to bounce things off of them, tell them about the practices that I’ve visited and the kind of things that they said to me during the interviews because sometimes [the interviewers] might say some things that are either a good thing or a bad thing, and [I wasn’t] expert enough to know whether it’s a red flag or not. Letting [the attendings] know about the things that [the interviewers] said really helped make those points clear.”

Other advisers to have on your job-search team or “executive board” include a contract attorney and a CPA.

“At the very least, you need somebody to review the contract,“ says Elhalis. “This is new to you, potentially— you don’t necessarily know what to look for. What is a good thing? What is a bad thing? …The nominal fee to [work with an attorney] is really worth it.”

Additionally, an accountant can help you avoid tax hurdles before they arise, ensuring a bonus doesn’t become a backache.

“A CPA is a must,” says Shah-Haque. “A lot of times, there are different bonuses that are tied to a new job, particularly coming out of residency. If you don’t handle it correctly at the beginning [with regard to tax withholding], you can really pay for it double.”

And just as it helps to have expert support to help you make sense of contracts and crunch the right numbers, you may also need expert support for the stresses that arise along the way. Tiger encourages all physicians to be aware of the Physician Support Line (888-409-0141).

“[It’s] physicians helping physicians,” says Tiger, who emphasizes that the hotline is confidential. “If you find yourself in a situation where you do need to talk tosomeone, it’s ok. It’s off the books. There are no records. You don’t have to worry about it showing up anywhere in your records. You don’t have to worry about filling anything out when you apply for your state licensure.”

Having the support line in your back pocket is another way to be prepared for anything that may come up during your job search.

Prepare to celebrate

As you prepare your job-search package, remember that you’re ultimately preparing to celebrate. By gathering the resources you need, prioritizing your mental healthand fostering old and new connections, you’re putting in the legwork that’s required to find a job and community that you’ll love. Let that goal motivate you, and all the job-search prep will feel a little less like work and a little more like the lead-up to your post-signing celebration. •